Think and write about why you would like to spend 40 days thinking about, contemplating, and practicing gratitute. Feel free to share with me privately by email, or publicly below.

Why

Back in December, during Journey of Rest, I was having intense waves of gratitude almost daily. I would think about my life, about the support and love that I have, about my relationship with the Great Mystery; I thought about Jesus and what He brought into the world; I thought about being a drop in an infinite ocean, aware of itself, of the ocean, and of its relationship with all the other drops; I would think about how beautiful this life is, the inter-connectivity of everything, and how amazing and wondrous it all is, and I would (sometimes) just weep with love and joy at how thankful I felt.

At that time, I recognized how gratitude was a doorway for Love. If I didn’t feel Love, I could focus on feeling thankful, and then Love was a breath away.

I thought, “I got this. Journey of Gratitude is going to be so easy. Do I even need a Journey of Gratitude? I just need to stay in this space forever!”

But you know, “this too shall pass”. I usually say that when something is a struggle, but really, it’s true otherwise, as all things are impermanent and changing (until we realize and live our True, eternal selves, anyway).

For the life of me, I have not been able to re-capture that intense feeling of gratitude since around December 23 (right before Christmas). I’m not saying that I haven’t felt thankful. But there’s a difference in mental-practices of gratitude and recognizing things to be thankful for, and the kind of gratitude that overwhelms with emotions of love and joy so much that tears flow.

I think my experiences in December (pre-December 23) were the teaser. “You see? This is what is possible. Are you there yet? No? Keep going.”

So here I am, an ideal in mind as a carrot on a stick, slogging toward it.

I knew I was going to have to write Why today, and I’ve been thinking and thinking about where I’m at with this, juxtaposing my recent loving/joyful gratitude experiences with how I actually feel right here right now.

It would be a cop out to say simply, “I want to work toward that (the ideal, mindlessly following a carrot on a stick). Yeah. It is that, but it’s also more than that.

I want to open my heart to expand in giving and receiving more love.
And gratitude does that.

I want to be of True Service–recognizing and living in the space of knowing what an honor (and responsibility!) it is to serve All in Love.
And gratitude does that.

I want to serve joyfully, inexhaustibly, according to my True, Highest Purpose.
And gratitude does that.

I want to remember my commitment–remember what I really want–which is to continue reaching every day, every hour, every minute with 100% of my being toward Infinite Love and Light.
And…I’m not sure if gratitude does that, but I’m going to treat this like an experiment to find out.

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Tomorrow is the commitment and dedication! Then we start the 40-days of contemplation. Remember with this Journey to get out your crayons, markers, pencils, and get ready to draw/create. Gratitude is especially pre-disposed toward the right/creative/aesthetic brain.